(1-3)Maitreya
said: 'King Prithu who fully
conversant with everything concerning the soul as the protector of the
people endlessly had promoted all that he had created, saw
one day that he physically was getting old. Fully in accord with the
instructions of the Supreme Ruler he in this world following the dharma
of devotees, had provided for the
maintenance of all the moving and nonmoving living beings. He left the
earth to his sons and with pity towards his aggrieved citizens he
alone with his wife went into the forest for his austerity.(4)As perfect as
he formerly had been in his understanding when he conquered the earth,
he at that place perfectly understood that he
according to the rules and regulations of a retired life had to engage
seriously in the practice of severe austerities.(5)
At first he so now and then ate bulbs, roots, fruits and dry
leaves, then he drank only water for several fortnights and
finally he only
breathed the air. (6)Like
the
great
sages do the hero tolerated during the summer the five fires [of the
sun above and four fires in the four directions], in autumn the
torrents of rain, in winter to be up to his neck
submerged in water while he [all year long] slept on the bare earth.(7) Simply longing for Krishna he tolerated it
to be without words, sensuality, the discharge of semen and the freedom
of his life breath, and was thus of all possible practices of the
best austerity. (8)Unrelenting keeping to the Perfection [of
Krishna] he thus gradually got rid of all the dirt and desires
of his workload, his karma, while he by means of breath
control fully stopping his mind and senses broke with all that bound
him.(9)
[And so he,] the best of all
human beings, with the very yoga the
fortunate
Sanat-kumâra
spoke
about
concerning
the
ultimate
goal
of
relating
to the soul,
worshiped the
Supreme
Personalty of Godhead.(10)With
him as a devotee endeavoring
with
faith on the path of devotional service unto the Supreme Personality,
the Lord who is [the origin of] the Spirit of the Absolute became his exclusive object of worship.(11)He who was perfectly alert
in the constant remembrance of a purely transcendental mind found by
these
devotional activities unto the Supreme Lordthe perfection of
wisdom. Thus not attached to
whatever one could call one's
own, he became free from doubt and the material conception
of life that covers the soul.(12)Free
from desire and firmly
convinced of the
ultimate goal of the soul, he had given up on all other notions of life
and transcendental knowledge, [for he realized that] as long
as a
practitioner of the yoga systemin his renunciation
is
not
attracted
to
the
stories
about
the
elder
brother
of
Gada,
Krishna [Gada was another son of Vasudeva younger than Krishna] he will not be free from illusion. (13)He,
the best
of the heroes fixing his
mind upon the Supersoul, in due
course of time thus thoroughly
spiritually purified gave up his
vehicle of time. (14)By blocking his
anus with his ankle he pushed up his life air gradually from the navel
to the heart and from there upwards to the throat to fix himself
[thereafter] between
the eyebrows.(15)Thus
step by step establishing his
life breath in his head, he, freed from all material desires, merged
his life breath with the complete of [the cosmic] breath, his body with
the complete of the earth and his innerly fire with the fire of the
complete [of the universe].(16)After
merging the
different apertures of
his body
with the sky and his fluids with the waters and thus having
merged
everything with its source, [he next merged the departments] as
they
were divided: earth he merged with water, water with fire, fire with air
and air with sky [compare
2.5:
25-29]. (17)He
united the mind with the senses and the
sense organs with their objects and next merged the sense objects
with the five elements they had originated from. Then he returned the
material ego to the mahat-tattva, the totality of the material
energy.(18)On
his path towards Him, the
reservoir of all qualities, he placed his individuality and the
lives belonging to it in the Reservoir of All Potencies and thus
he, the
living entity and enjoyer, as the master
of
the
senses
returned
home,
back
to
his
constitutional
position
by
dint
of his
insight in the spiritual knowledge of self-realization and
renunciation. (19)The queen named Arci, his wife, followed him
on foot into the forest, even though she, with her delicate body, had
not deserved it to contact the earth with her feet in that way. (20)Even though her
body would turn lean and thin she, most determined as she was in her
vow to
serve her husband, saw no difficulty in living in conditions like those
of
the great saints and engaged with pleasure, happy to be in touch with
him.(21)Seeing that the body of her
husband who was of
such a mercy for the world and for her, showed no signs of life, the
virtuous woman after weeping a while cremated him on top
of a hill.(22)After
performing the funeral rites for her so very liberal husband she took
a bath in the river and offered oblations of water in worship of the
thirty million demigods in heaven.
Three
times circumambulating the fire she then, thinking of her
husband's feet, entered the fire herself.(23)The gracious gods and their
wives
who observed her
following her husband into death, offered by
the thousands prayers for the chaste wife of the great warrior King
Prithu.(24)
They on top of Mandara Hill
showering flowers and to that
occasion
vibrating
their musical instruments, spoke among themselves as follows. (25)The wives said: 'Oh how
glorious this wife
is who, just as the
Goddess unto the Lord of
Sacrifice [Vishnu], with
heart and soul was of
worship for her husband, the king of all the kings of the world.(26)
Just see how she follows her chaste husband, the son of Vena, in his
ascension and how she, who is named Arci, thus surpasses us by her
difficult to conceive actions. (27)Among all the ones who but for a short moment
live here in this human world, for
those who on the path of liberation do their best for the Kingdom of
God there is nothing too difficult to achieve.(28)He whohaving
achieved the human form of life onthe
path
of
liberation
gets
involved in the great difficulties of all that one does for one's sense
gratification in this world, is in going against his own true self no doubt cheated [by
illusions].'

(29)Maitreya said: 'While Arci thus by the
wives of the
denizens of heaven was glorified, she reached the
place
for
which the husband had left. It was the topmost position of the
self-realized that the son
of Vena under the protection of
the
Infallible One had attained.(30)
I have thus described to you the character of Prithu, the first of
the lords who
was so high and mighty, as the very best in being endowed
with all qualities. (31)Anyone who
with faith and great attention reads and explains or hears about that
very great and pious person of King Prithu, will attain the same
position as he
has reached.(32)The
brahmin who reads it will attain spiritual splendor, a noble will
become the king of the
world, the trader will become the master of his trade and
the laborer will attain the best unto Him.(33)
When someone with great respect
three times over listens to this
that person, whether
he is a man or a woman, when he is childless will have the best of
children and when he is penniless will become the
richest. (34)Without
recognition
he
will
become
famous
and
illiterate
he
will
become
learned.
This
story so auspicious will drive
away all bad luck of man.(35)They who desire wealth, a
good
repute, an increased life span, a better world [heaven], the defeat of
the influence of the Age of Quarrel
and who are after the higher cause of the perfection of the
four [civil virtues] of
religion, economy, sensual pleasure and
liberation,must listen with great respect to
this narration. (36) The
king listening
to this who on his chariot
campaigns for his victory, will receive
taxes from other kings
like King Prithu did.(37)
When one freed from all other
association, is of unalloyed devotional service unto the Supreme
Lord, one must hear about, make others listen to
and continue to read about
the pious character of the son of Vena.(38) Oh son of
Vicitravîrya [Vidura], I
explained to you how one thus involved in relation to this
extraordinary text, may awaken to the greatness for which one should
strive. (39) He who liberated
in
the
association concerning the
Supreme
Lord with great reverence repeatedly listens to this narration about
Prithu and
also spreads it, will in full realize the attachment to His feet that
constitute the boat for [crossing] the ocean of nescience.'

Third
revised
edition,
loaded
March
24,
2011.

Previous
Aadhar
editionand Vedabase links:

Text1-3

Maitreya
said: 'King Prithu who fully
conversant with everything concerning the soul as the protector of the
people endlessly had promoted all that he had created, saw
one day that he physically was
getting old. Fully in
accord with the
instructions of the Supreme Ruler he in this world following the dharma
of devotees, had provided for the
maintenance of all the moving and nonmoving living beings. He left the
earth to his sons and with pity towards his aggrieved citizens he
alone with his wife went into the forest for his austerity.

Maitreya said: 'One day king Prithu, who by
his full
knowledge, with the soul, as the protector of the people unlimitedly
had increased [the general well-being] after his own opulences, saw
that he was physically getting old. In coordination with the Supreme
Ruler, he had in this world of the moving and nonmoving in full
executed His order, giving pensions in observance of the principles of
the devotees. He left the earth to his sons and with pity towards the
aggrieved citizens, he went alone with his wife into the forest for his
austerity. (Vedabase)

Text
4

As perfect as
he formerly had been in his understanding when he conquered the earth,
he at that place perfectly understood that he
according to the rules and regulations of a retired life had to engage
seriously in the practice of severe austerities.

There he perfectly recognized, as much as he
did
formerly
also in conquering the earth, to make a start with the severe austerity
of seriously practicing according the rules and regulations of a
retired life. (Vedabase)

Text
5

At first
he so now and then ate bulbs,
roots,
fruits and dry
leaves, then he drank only water for several fortnights and
finally he only
breathed the air.

At first
he ate so now and then bulbs, roots, fruits
and
leaves at hand, then drank water for several fortnights, after which he
only breathed the air. (Vedabase)

Text
6

Like
the
great
sages
do
the
hero
tolerated during the summer the five fires [of the sun
above and four fires in the four directions], in autumn the torrents of
rain, in winter to be up to his neck
submerged in water while he [all year long] slept on the bare earth.

Like the great sages took the hero the five
austerities of
the summerheat [from the sun above and from the fires from four
directions], the downpour of rains in the rainy season, to be up to his
neck submerged in the water in winter and the sleeping on the bare
earth. (Vedabase)

Text
7

Simply longing
for Krishna he tolerated
it to be without words, sensuality, the discharge of semen and the
freedom of his life breath, and was thus of all possible practices of
the
best austerity.

Tolerating it to control his words and his
senses, not
to
discharge his semen and to check the life-air, he simply desired Lord
Krishna, of all practices thus having the best austerity. (Vedabase)

Text
8

Unrelenting
keeping to the Perfection [of Krishna] he thus gradually got rid of all
the dirt and desires
of his workload, his karma, while he by means of breath
control fully stopping his mind and senses broke with all that bound
him.

Thus gradually, constantly and by perfection
he got
rid of
all the dirt and desires of his workload, his karma, and by the
exercise of his breath fully stopping his mind and senses, he broke
with all that bound him. (Vedabase)

Text
9

[And so he,] the best
of all
human beings, with the very yoga the
fortunate
Sanat-kumâra
spoke
about
concerning
the
ultimate
goal
of
relating
to the soul,
worshiped the
Supreme
Personalty of Godhead.

To what the fortunate Sanat Kumâra had
said
about the
ultimate goal of yoga of relating to the soul, was he, as the best of
all human beings, sure to be of worship for the Supreme Person. (Vedabase)

Text
10

With him as a
devotee endeavoring with
faith on the path of devotional service unto the Supreme Personality,
the Lord who is [the origin of] the Spirit of the Absolute became his exclusive object of worship.

Endeavoring with faith on the path of
devotion of the
devotee, he, always in service unto the Supreme Lord, the origin of the
Spirit of the Absolute, became firmly fixed without any deviation. (Vedabase)

Text
11

He who was
perfectly alert
in the constant remembrance of a purely transcendental mind found by
these
devotional activities unto the Supreme Lordthe perfection of
wisdom. Thus not attached to
whatever one could call one's
own, he became free from doubt and the material conception
of life that covers the soul.

By these devotional activities unto the
Supreme Lord
in the
constant remembrance of the mind of pure goodness, he perfectly alert
managed the spiritual knowledge and non-attachment to possessing and
thus became free from doubt and the being covered of his own soul. (Vedabase)

Text
12

Free from desire
and firmly convinced of the
ultimate goal of the soul, he had given up on all other notions of life
and transcendental knowledge, [for he realized that] as long
as a
practitioner of the yoga systemin his renunciation
is
not
attracted
to
the
stories
about
the
elder
brother
of
Gada,
Krishna [Gada was another son of Vasudeva younger than Krishna] he will not be free from illusion.

Free from all other concepts of life,
desireless and
firmly
convinced about the ultimate goal of the soul, he had given all that
up, cutting by means of that knowledge in which for long a practitioner
of the yoga-system is not without illusion for the time that he is not
of the attraction for the stories about the elder brother of Gada
[meaning Krishna, Gada was another son of Vasudeva younger than
Krishna]. (Vedabase)

Text13

He, the best
of the heroes fixing his
mind upon the Supersoul, in due
course of time thus thoroughly
spiritually purified gave up his
vehicle of time.

Thus as the best of the hero's setting his
mind to the
Supersoul he, thoroughly spiritually purified, in due course of time
gave up his vehicle of time. (Vedabase)

Text
14

By
blocking
his
anus
with
his
ankle
he
pushed
up his life air gradually from the navel
to the heart and from there upwards to the throat to fix himself
[thereafter] between
the eyebrows.

By blocking his anus with his ankle he
pushed
up his
life
air gradually from the navel to the heart and throat upwards to fix
himself between the eyebrows. (Vedabase)

Text
15

Thus
step
by
step
establishing
his
life
breath
in
his head, he, freed from all material
desires, merged his life breath with the complete of [the cosmic]
breath, his body with the complete of the earth and his innerly fire
with the fire of the complete [of the universe].

Thus, freed from all material desires,
putting
gradually his
vitality nowhere else but in the head, he merged his life air in the
totality of it, his body in the full of the earth and the fire within
himself in that of the complete. (Vedabase)

Text
16

After merging the
different apertures of
his body
with the sky and his fluids with the waters and thus having
merged
everything with its source, [he next merged the departments] as
they
were divided: earth he merged with water, water with fire, fire with air
and air with sky [compare
2.5:
25-29].

Merging the different openings of his body
with the
sky and
his fluids with the waters, was thus according to each division, that
way the earth with the water, that with the fire, the fire with the air
and that air merged with the sky [compare 2-5: 25-29]. (Vedabase)

Text
17

He united the
mind with the senses and the
sense organs with their objects and next merged the sense objects
with the five elements they had originated from. Then he returned the
material ego to the mahat-tattva, the totality of the material
energy.

He united the mind with the senses, the
sense
organs
with
their objects and from there compacting the objects with the five
elements, he took the material ego out into the mahat-tattva, the total
material energy. (Vedabase)

Text18

On his path
towards Him, the
reservoir of all qualities, he placed his individuality and the
lives belonging to it in the Reservoir of All Potencies and thus
he, the
living entity and enjoyer, as the master
of
the
senses
returned
home,
back
to
his
constitutional
position
by
dint
of his
insight in the spiritual knowledge of self-realization and
renunciation.

Unto Him, the reservoir of all qualities, he
put his
individuality and the designations belonging to it in the reservoir of
all potencies and thus did he as the prabhu or master, the controller
of the senses, the living entity and the enjoyer, return home by the
power of his own insight in that spiritual knowledge of selfrealization
and renunciation.
(Vedabase)

Text19

The queen
named Arci, his
wife, followed him
on foot into the forest, even though she, with her delicate body, had
not deserved it to contact the earth with her feet in that way.

The
queen named Arci, his wife, who, with her delicate body had not
deserved that, yet put the touch of her feet to the earth following him
in the forest. (Vedabase)

Text20

Even though
her
body would turn lean and thin she, most determined as she was in her
vow to
serve her husband, saw no difficulty in living in conditions like those
of
the great saints and engaged with pleasure, happy to be in touch with
him.

Although
her body would turn lean and thin saw she, very determined in her vow
to serve her husband, no difficulty in living in conditions like those
of the great saints and engaged with pleasure happy to be near him. (Vedabase)

Text21

Seeing
that the body of her
husband who was of
such a mercy for the world and for her, showed no signs of life, the
virtuous woman after weeping a while cremated him on top
of a hill.

Seeing
that the body of her husband, so of mercy for the world and for her,
failed in the symptoms of life, did she, the chaste woman, after
weeping a little, cremate him on the top of a hill. (Vedabase)

Text22

After
performing the funeral
rites for her so very liberal husband she took
a bath in the river and offered oblations of water in worship of the
thirty million demigods in heaven.
Three
times circumambulating the fire she then, thinking of her
husband's feet, entered the fire herself.

After
performing the funeral rites she took a bath in the river, offering
oblations of water in worship of her so liberal husband now in heaven
with the thirty million demigods. Three times circ umambulating the
fire she then, thinking of the feet of her husband, entered it. (Vedabase)

Text23

The gracious gods and their
wives
who observed her
following her husband into death, offered by
the thousands prayers for the chaste wife of the great warrior King
Prithu.

Observing
this
dying
after
the
husband,
offered
the godly and their wives by the
thousands prayers to the chaste wife of the great warrior king Prithu. (Vedabase)

Text24

They on
top of Mandara Hill showering
flowers and to that occasion
vibrating
their musical instruments, spoke among themselves as follows.

Showering
flowers
on
top
of
the
Mandara
Hill they to that, vibrating the drums of
devotion, spoke among themselves as follows. (Vedabase)

Text25

The
wives said: 'Oh how
glorious this wife
is who, just as the
Goddess unto the Lord of
Sacrifice [Vishnu], with
heart and soul was of
worship for her husband, the king of all the kings of the world.

The
wives said: 'Alas, what has happened to this most glorious wife, who
with all her soul was of worship unto her husband, the king of all
kings of the world, alike the Goddess is unto the Lord of Sacrifice
[Vishnu]. (Vedabase)

Text26

Just see
how she follows her
chaste husband, the son of Vena, in his ascension and how she, who is
named Arci, thus surpasses us by her difficult to conceive actions.

Just see
how she factually follows the chaste husband, the son of Vena, in this
going upward and how thus she, who is named Arci, surpasses us by the
greatness of her actions. (Vedabase)

Text27

Among all the
ones who but for a short moment live here in this human world, for
those who on the path of liberation do their best for the Kingdom of
God there is nothing too difficult to achieve.

For
those on the path of liberation doing their best for the Kingdom of God
there is, of all of them who only for a while are living in the human
world, nothing too difficult to obtain. (Vedabase)

Text28

He whohaving
achieved
the
human
form
of life onthe
path
of
liberation gets
involved in the great difficulties of all that one does for one's sense
gratification in this world, is in going against his own true self no doubt cheated [by
illusions].'

He, who,
by achieving the human form of life, the path of liberation, gets
involved with the great difficulties of all action in the matter of
sense-gratification in this world, is no doubt cheated in envy with the
truth.' (Vedabase)

Text29

Maitreya
said: 'While Arci
thus by the
wives of the
denizens of heaven was glorified, she reached the
place
for
which the husband had left. It was the topmost position of the
self-realized that the
son
of
Vena
under the
protection of the
Infallible One had
attained.

Maitreya
said: 'While the wives of the denizens of heaven were thus in praise,
reached the wife the place where the husband had gone to; it was the
topmost position of the self-realized that the son of Vena under the
protection of the Infallible One had obtained. (Vedabase)

Text30

I have
thus described to you
the character of Prithu, the first of
the lords who
was so high and mighty, as the very best in being endowed
with all qualities.

Thus of
him, Prithu, the best of the lords, who was so high and mighty, I
described his character to you as being one of all qualities and the
very best. (Vedabase)

Text31

Anyone
who
with faith and great attention reads and explains or hears about that
very great and pious person of King Prithu, will attain the same
position as he
has reached.

Anyone
who with faith and great attention reads and explains or hears about
that very great and pious person of King Prithu, attains where he
reached. (Vedabase)

Text
32

The
brahmin who reads it will attain spiritual splendor, a noble will
become the king of the
world, the trader will become the master of his trade and
the laborer will attain the best unto Him.

The
brahmin will attain the power of spiritual success, the royal one will
be the king of the world, the trader will to the path become the master
of the trade and the laborer will develop into a great devotee. (Vedabase)

Text33

When
someone with great respect three
times over listens to this that
person, whether
he is a man or a woman, when he is childless will have the best of
children and when he is penniless will become the
richest.

When a
man listens to this with great respect three times over, whether he's a
man or a woman, when he is without children he will be surrounded by
the best of them and when he is penniless he will be the richest. (Vedabase)

Text34

Without
recognition he will
become
famous and
illiterate he will become learned. This story so auspicious will drive
away all bad luck of man.

Unrecognized
he
will
become
famous,
illiterate
he
will become learned; this story so
auspicious will drive away all bad luck of man. (Vedabase)

Text35

They who desire wealth, a
good
repute, an increased life span, a better world [heaven], the defeat of
the influence of the Age of Quarrel
and who are after the higher cause of the perfection of the
four [civil virtues] of religion, economy, sensual pleasure and
liberation,must listen with great respect to
this narration.

By those
who desire wealth, a good repute, an increased life span, the
attainment of heaven, the defeat of the influence of the Age of Quarrel
and who are after the higher cause of the complete perfection of the
four of religion, the economy, the pleasure of the senses and the
liberation, must this narration be heard with great respect. (Vedabase)

Text36

The king listening to this who on his chariot campaigns for his victory, will receive
taxes from other kings
like King Prithu did.

To that
king who, on the chariot starting out for his victory, hears of this,
will the other kings render taxes alike one did to king Prithu. (Vedabase)

Text37

When one
freed from all other
association, is of unalloyed devotional service unto the Supreme
Lord, one must hear about,
make others listen to
and continue to read about
the pious character of the son of Vena.

Freed
from all material association, carrying out unalloyed devotional
service unto the Supreme Lord, one must hear, make others listen to and
continue to read about the pious character of the son of Vena. (Vedabase)

Text38

Oh son of
Vicitravîrya
[Vidura], I
explained to you how one thus involved in relation to this
extraordinary text, may awaken to the greatness for which one should
strive.

O son of
Vicitravîrya [Vidura], I explained to what extend of greatness
one can awaken and should advance when one, in relation to the
extraordinary of this sacred text, does this. (Vedabase)

Text39

He who liberated in the association concerning the Supreme
Lord with great reverence repeatedly listens to this narration about
Prithu and
also spreads it, will in full realize the attachment to His feet that
constitute the boat for [crossing] the ocean of nescience.'

He who
repeatedly hears this narration about Prithu with great reverence and
also recites it liberated in association unto the Supreme Lord - that
person will in full realize the attachment to His feet that are the
boat for the ocean of nescience. (Vedabase)